Parents need to take action on sports fees

To the editor:

I am a low-income parent. I have three children active in sports in the Cape Girardeau School District. That means I will have to spend $120 for my children to participate in one sport each. If they did three sports -- you do the math.

I've raised my children as best as I could. I was always told that extracurricular activities were good for building character and teaching discipline. School sports have kept my children from dropping out or letting their grades go. Some kids use sports as a way of fitting in. What am I supposed to do when my children want to participate in sports and I have to tell them that I can't pay because I have to keep our utilities on or I just don't have the money?

Superintendent Mark Bowles wouldn't know anything about that. He has an income of luxury. He might say he worked hard to get where he is. But so did I.

The district hasn't heard the last of this and is asking for trouble if it thinks parents who can't afford to pay are going to do nothing. I am not a do-nothing person. Any parent reading this who agrees with me needs to step up and be heard. Our low-income children bring a lot of state funding to the school. We should consider moving our kids elsewhere. Maybe if we take away some of the free money the district is getting, officials will change their views.

PAT COX

Cape Girardeau